Enamel lapel pins are high quality pins that are made using the traditional cloisonné process. Enamel lapel pins are oftenly described or referred to as New Cloisonné or cloisonné -style pins because they look very much the same. Only an expert will know the difference. To give you a brief background, Cloisonné lapel pins are processed by means of an ancient art developed in China. This process delivers fine-looking pins that have the dimension, looks and luster of jewelry.
Cloisonné (Cloy-sohn-nay) lapel pins are expensive though, while enamel lapel pins are more affordable. In addition, Cloisonné lapel pins offers only about 140 colors, while enamel lapel pins offers the full Pantone Matching System or PMS of more than 1,000 colors.
Enamel lapel pins, also called Epola, are now widely used, as they are faster to produce making them an ideal marketing and advertising tool. They look expensive and professional enough that you can proudly distribute them and people would want to be collecting your pins. You can always make Christmas tree lapel pins out of enamel lapel pins just in time for the holidays. Enamel lapel pins are used as awards or recognition pins, sports pins, college pins, and profession lapel pins, among others.
There are several types of enamel lapel pins that you can choose from:
. Hard enamel lapel pins: These pins are stamped or marked with your design and filled with enamels. Hard enamel pins have metal edges around the text and graphics (depending on your design) to separate and hold the enamel. Resin paste is used in making hard enamel lapel pins to achieve the same glass-like appearance and characteristic luster of cloisonné lapel pins. Hard enamel lapel pins are more affordable than Cloisonné lapel pins making them a popular choice.
. Soft enamel lapel pins: When you are considering cost and fine detail is not a requirement, you can always go for soft enamel lapel pins. You can either order for "etched" soft enamel lapel pins wherein your design is photo-etched onto the base metal, or "stamped" soft enamel lapel pins wherein your design is stamped or pressed onto the base metal. Either way, an epoxy dome is applied to the pin for a glossy finish. While some lapel pin companies will say applying the epoxy dome is an option, it is very useful in protecting your pins from scratches.
When ordering for your enamel lapel pins, ask your manufacturer if their lapel pins are indeed made of copper. More often than not, they use copper underneath the plating. Plates can also be of pewter, iron, or other metals. The cheapest are those made of iron. Be careful of unscrupulous companies that will say you are getting authentic enamel lapel pins that are supposed to be made of copper, while in fact they are just made of iron.
With our enamel lapel pins, you always get the best price for the quality of the traditional Cloisonné lapel pins. Why, that's definitely value for your money!
